Haffeys upside-down world

England put nine goals past Frank Haffey in 1961. He never played for Scotland again, moved to Australia and worked as a comedian. John Wright reports

WEMBLEY, April 15, 1961. A dark day. It was an era of Home Internationals and Scotland were strafed 9-3 by a rampant England side inspired by the visionary Johnny Hayes and the lethal goal-scoring touch of Jimmy Greaves, who struck three times on that fateful afternoon.

It remains Scotland’s most humiliating defeat against the Auld Enemy, although most of the players that day, from Bobby Shearer, Eric Caldow and Billy McNeill to Dave McKay, Denis Law and Davie Wilson, emerged with their careers unscathed. But for one man, it became too much to bear. Frank Haffey played 201 games for Celtic from 1958 until the early 60s, and that afternoon, he made the second of two Scotland appearances. After conceding nine goals against England, the goalkeeper was never able to shake off the stigma.

He briefly joined Swindon in 1964 after leaving Celtic before making an even more drastic move